Mail box



Dec. 18, 1928.

A. E, BLAcKMAN MAIL BOX Filed Feb. 16, 1927 'Illlllln Patented Dec. 18,1928.rv

ALBERT EDGAaBLACKMAN," or MoUN'r viennois, univ Yoan;

f MAIL 130x.v

Y npjucatiqn filed February 1e7 i927. 'serial No. Y168.632.

Theinvention relates to a `mail-box. having a series of individual compartments With two means of access, upper door Which extends over all the compartments at once, is for the usel of the; postman in depositing the mail, the other means, a separate lower door for each compartment, is for the individual to whom the compartment hasbeen assigned. There isone lock for the upper door, While each lower door has its speoiallock. y f jV An-object of-my invention is the simplification of the construction lof the various rparts of the box to facilitate their manufacture and their assemblingj An, obj ect, is'the 'construction of allthe doors whereby they can be assembled as a single unit and this u'nitfastened i to the frontfof the box..4 There is no panel strip, asis common in mail-box construction, between the master door and the individual or tenant d-oors. The tenant'doors-may also be arranged to have no panel stripsbetween them. VThe advantage of the assembled door unit is that, the f frame encompassing the doors can be assembled around the unit,

said frame being'formed of individuall strips. Mail-boxes havingrectangular frames yformed of one piece require careful fitting of the doors inthe frame,gwhereas a frame formed of individual stripscan be set around the door unit so ast-o fit itand heldin proper position while Abeing spot Welded or otherwise fastened to thebox., In myV preferred form the-tenant doors are hingedly mounted upon the master door and hang from it, all the doors pivoting about al coinmon axis.V The master door vis pivotally mounted upon substantially the front of `the box instead of having its pivot pass through apertures in the partition Walls'between vthe compartments or haveits pivot pass through aperturesrin the sidewalls of the box as has been done heretofore. lhere the pivot passes through apertures in the box, it is ynot feasible to assemble the doors into one unit before fastening them upon the box. My

i mounting upon the front 'of the box permits vall the doors to be assembled into, one unit before being attached to the box.. .1.

Other objects andadvantages Willbecome apparent from a further study of the de scription and drawingin which Figure 1 is -a `front elevation; of niybox, Figure 2 is a section ofthe box taken along the. e-Sz of Figure i, Figure sie a One means of access, anl

3-,3 of Figurerk 1 Figure 4 is a parti'alsec! tion, toan enlarged scale, of the box taken along the.linel;-l of'Figure 1 and shovvsthe detailof the fasteningy of atpivot rod to the yfront of the box, Figurer 5 is vangenlarged fragmental frontl elevation of lthefastening elevation of thegbox looking Valongthefline of apivot rod to the front of the box looking .along.1line 5-5 ofFigure 3,.,Figure6 is va' partial horizontal 'section taken alongy the line 64-6 of VFigure 1, Figure 7 is a vfront elevation of a modified formiof theboxand Figure 8 is a partial section taken along kthe' line 8 8 of Figure 7 andFigure 9 is apartial section taken similarly to Figure 4- showing a modified form for mountingl the door unit.

The boxis forme-dof back 10, topgll, bottom 12 and sidewalls 13` (Figures 2V and 3). Top and bottom 11 and 12 are formed with frontflanges `14, While .sidewalls 13 are provid-ed Withfront flanges or laterally extend `ing. portions 15.v Partition Walls 16 'divide the box vinto individual compartmentsgln 'i l for the upper half ofthe 'box for the sake of.

-F igure 1, .partition'vvallsfl are shown only clarity lin the drawing, but they extend down y vided with hinge ears 21v and'25. lTenant means of pivot pins 22 Which extend through ears 1,8, 22 andA 19, While tenant door 24. is hung by pivot pin 23vvhich extends through ears 19 and`25. v"

The use .ofseparate pivot vpins has a great advantage in assembling the, doors Yover the use of a single full length pivot pin as-has .to bottom 12 as shown in Figure 2; t Master ydoor 17 isprovid-edvvith hingeears 18 and 19, `While vthetenant doors 20 and 24 'are'proe o fdoo'rs 20 are hung from master door 17 `by been don-e heretofore. A The friction necessary to overcome, in inserting the individual pins is less than with a single long pin, especially when thereis any irregularity in the align ment of the hinge kears.l k i Aftenall the vdoors have beenl assembled into a ysingle unitby means of pins 22 and 23,

'it isvto be noted that the outer ends of pins V22 VWilliproject beyond the sides 4of master door 17. Instead of using separate pins, a single rod can'be :used of a length .suilicient to extend beyond 'the' sides-of the master door. .l This Wouldalso permit the doors to be assembled into a single unit and then fasts ened tothe boxi 'four strips, an upperstrip 2G, lover strip Thefront frameof is'yeomposedof i pleted structure.

27 and side. strips 28. In one method of assembling, the preferred one, they door unit, with pins 18 projecting beyond the edges of master door 17 is laid upon the front of the box in the position it is to occupy in the eom- Shim blocks 30 (Figures 1, 4 and 5) are fastenedto flanges 15 so, astio come under the outer endsof pins 18, said blocks being of such thickness so as to cause the front face of the door unit to lie substantially in a plane, the upper edge of master door 17 comingagainst upper lange 14, while the lower edges of tenant doors 20 and 24 come against lower flange 14. The strips 26, 27 and 28, forming the front'i'rame, are then placed about the edges of the door unit and welded orotherwise fastenedto flanges 14 and 15. It is to be noted that each strip 28 is formed with a loop or bulge 29 adapted to come over pins 22 and that a li 31 is pressed down from the outer edge of t e loop to pre- Y vent outward lateral movement of pins 22.

Shim blocks 30 can be omitted and the pivot pins directly -mounted upon the front. of flanges 15, by causing hinge ears 18, 19, etc. toV ,bulge .slightly inward of the doors. A

pivot pin resting directlyagainst the front of fianges 15 isseen in Figure 7.

The hinge ears 18 and 19 project outwardly troml the box or may bulge but slightly inward and thereby avoid the objection heretofore resent in mailbox constructions of inward y projecting hinges or hinge` devices which tend to catch or interfere with any it a simple matter to supply a mail box with push buttons at the bottom, such as shown at 32 or with mouth pieces at the top as at 33 by providing wider strips acrossthe bottom and top than for boxes without these' features. It is toibo noted that no front panel pieces are provided between-the tenant doors and between the. niasterdoor and the tenant doors. This allows the whole front of each compartment to be available for thedeposit and with'- drawal of mail. Vith other types of boxes in present use', the original blank in the whole front must be chanfred and taken into consideration when providing for these special features.

Loek 34 is provided for the master door and individual locks 35 are provided for the `tenant doors.

In the modified form of box shown in ures 7 and 8, instead of forming the hinge ears upon the doors, said doors are cut :m plain rectangles and a continuous hinge member 36 is Welded or otherwise fastened to the doors. This hinge member is the straps 38 and 39 can be in multiple lengths. f

Instead ofV `mounting pivot pins 22 as shown in Figures 3 and 4, they can be mounted as shown in Figure 9, which is a section ta-ken similarly to Figure 4. The side flanges 15b of the box are looped inwardly of the box, strips 281" holding pivot pin 22 in place in the loop. In this construction, strips 28b are substantially straight, no loop as at 29 (Figure 4) being required. Hingeears (not shown) such as 18, 19, 21 and 25 project inwardly of the doors instead of outwardly as in Figure 2. i

` In general it is to be noted that thel door unit with its projecting pinscan bev placed as a Whole against the front of the box in any of the above mentioned types.

A box has been shown with three tenant doors, but boxes Vwith additional compartments and tenant doors lend themselves as well to my construction. Also instead of us ing a box divided into compartments by partition Walls, a box can be formed of separate receptacles, one for each compartment and fastened together as is well known .in the art.

1. A mail box comprising a plurality of compartments opening at the front, a door unitmounted on the front of the box for closing said compartments, said door unit coinprising a master door adapted to close the upper portions oi said compartments, and tenant doors, one for eac-h compartment, pivotwlly mounted at their upper ends upon the lower end o-f said master door for closing the lower portions of' said compartments, and pivot means mounted upon the sides of the box with its axis forward' ot the front of the sidewalls of the box for pivotally supporting the master door at its lower corners.

2. A mail box comprising a plurality of compartments opening at the front, a master door ivotally mounted at its lower end upon the lbox, adapted to close the upper portions of said compartments, tenantdoors, one for each compartment, pivotally mounted at their upper ends upon the lower end of said master door for closing the lower por tions of said compartments, and pivot means for providing the pivotal connection between the masterl door and tenant doors and the master doorand the box, the axis of said meansbeing forward of the rear face ofsaid doors, portions of said means projecting beyond the sides of the master door and being mounted upon the sides of the box with its pivotal axis forward of the front of walls of the box. p Y j 3. A mailbox provided with Va 'plurality of compartments, vsaid box having its sidewalls provided with laterally i extending flanges,aniasterdoor for closing the upper portions of said vcompaitments and a plural#V ity of tenant doors for closing the lower portions ofsaid compartments, t? ere beingv one of said latte;l doors for each compartment, the master door Vbeing pivotaliy mounted y,near its lower'end upon thefrontof said flangesfand. the tenantV doors being pivotally s said coinpa-itinents, pivot means for providing the pivotal connection between the master door and tenant doors and themaster door and-the box, Vsaid means projecting beyond the sidesy of the master door. and being mounted upon the sides yof the boxv f'ith its pivotal axis forward of the front of the side- `walls of the box, and affront frame for the box adapted to encompass all the doors, said frame having side members provided ,with

bulged out portions adapted to .come over the projecting portions of the pivot means.

5. A mail box provided with a plurality of compartments, a master door for closing the.

upper portions of said compartments, tenant doors, one for each compartment for closing the lower portions of said compartments, the masterdoor being provided at its lower end with a pliirality'of aligned hingek ears projecting forward of the front face of the door, each tenant door being provided with a hinge ear projecting forward of its front face at its upper end, theears of the masterv and tenant 'doors being suit-ably formed and spaced to dovetail together, pivot-means kex-` tending through the ears and projecting` beyond the sides of the master door, the sidewalls of the box being provided with later.-

ally extending portions at their forward ends Vadapted to supper t said projecting portions of the pivot means. Y

6. A mailbox comprising a plurality of compartments opening at the front, Va door unit for the front of the box comprising a master door adapted 'to close the upper portions of the compartments and tenant doors,

one for each compartment, pivotally mount-` ed at their upper ends upon the lower end of the master Vdoor for closing the lower por# tions' of said compartments, the sidewalls of said box beiugprovided with laterally projecting portions, pivot means carried'by. the

master door at itsloweijvvend and project'- ing beyond its sides, said 'door 'unit as whole being placed upon the front of the box with the projecting portions of' saidpivot means coming against thieffront of the laterally projecting portions of said sidewalls, and a front 4frame vfor said box'comprising top, bottom and'side strips adapted to be individually as- Y sembled aboutsaid door unit, the side' strips tions of the pivot means tor retaining theininf place against thelaterally projecting-portions ofthe sidewalls. .n y

'7.A mail ybox comprising a 'plurality' of r'compaitinents opening at the front, the sidewalls of said box being provided with laterally projecting portions, a master door pivotal ly mounted at its lower end upon the box, adapted to close the upper portions of said compartments, tenant doors, one for each` compartment, pivotally mountedat their uppei ends upon the lower end ofthe master door for closing the lower portions of said compartments, pivot means y for providing the pivotal connection between the master door and tenant doors and the master door and the box, saidy means projecting beyond the sides of the box forward of the laterally projecting portions .ofthe sidewalls, and

shim` blocks interposed between the projecting portions of the pivot means and the projecting' portions of the sidewalls. i

8. In a mail box having a plurality of compartments anda plurality of'adjacently and hingedly mounted doors for closing said com partments, hinge construction comprising hingey ears upon one end of said doors,'said ears being in alignment andextending across 'the box, and pivot pins inserted through adjacentrears for pivotallyv fastening the doors together, the outside pivot pins extending beyond the sides ofthe outermost doors, the* extending portions of saidv outside pins supporting the doors as a whole upon the box.

9. In va mail box having av front frame with top, bottom, and side members encompassing coming over the front of the projecting pon" ico iiov

a master door and a plurality of tenant doors, Y

pivot means for providing the pivotal mounting of the master door upon the box, said means projecting beyond thesides of the master door, and engaging means at the front of sait side members for holding the project- 'ing portions ofy said pivot means. to the box,

with the axis of said pivot means forward vofthe front ofthe sidewalls of the box. r

l0. n mail box having a pluralityv of compartments open at the front with a master .door hingedly mountediat its lower end for closingthe upper portions of said com` partments and tenant doors hingedly mount-y ed at their upper ends for closing the lower portions of said compartments, the sidewalls n of'said box being provided at the front with` laterally extending flanges, a front framefoi isc i encompassing al1 of the doors comprising to bottom and slde strips adapted to e indivi( nally assembled and adjusted to the outline of the doors, the side strips being fastened to said flanges and engaging means on said side strips for holding the pivotal mounting of said doors forward of said flanges.

11. A mail box comprising a plurality of compartments opening at the front, laterally extending flanges provided at the front ofthe sidewalls of the box, a master door for closing the upper portions of said compartments, tenant doors, one for each compartment, piv- V otally mounted at their upper ends upon the `lower end of the master door for closing the lower portions of said oompartmentgand pivot means for providing pivotalconneetion between the master and tenant doors and between sad Vdoors and the box, said pivot means projecting beyond the sides of the master door, a front frame for said box compris ing top, bottom and side strips adapted to be in ividuallv assembled about all of the doors Bronx and State of New York this 11th day 30 of February, A.` D. 192i.

ALBERT EDGAR BLACKMAN. 

